Local News

Sculptures could give Sterling 'wow' factor

Locations suggested for Western-themed bronzes

Sterling could get a little extra pizzazz for visitors coming into town on Colo. 14 in the coming months.

At a meeting Thursday to discuss a public art project proposal from the Colorado Cattlemen's Association, Brett Locke of the Colorado Department of Transportation talked about the options for placing statues in the medians on West Main. He said as part of the ongoing road project, the medians in front of Home Depot and Wal-Mart will be raised, with landscaping elements.

The medians further east on West Main will just be stamped concrete, and will not be big enough to hold the statues due to the safety considerations.

However, he suggested that the two raised medians could hold three to four of the Western-themed statues.

Kim Sellers, executive director of the Logan County Chamber of Commerce and chair of the Citizens Advisory Board, also talked about the Front Street beautification project, which will be a landscaping "curtain" at the end of Main Street, blocking the view of the dirt lot and railroad beyond it.

Sterling Mayor Dan Torres suggested that the Front Street site could hold three statues — one facing north, one facing south, and a wider one that would face Main Street.

Between the two locations, Torres said there were spots for at least six that "we could do ... in the very immediate future." The West Main work is slated for completion by November of this year; the Front Street project is in the engineering phase.

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Torres also talked about the possibility of adding more along Colo. 138, and there could also be room for statues along the "S curve," which will connect U.S. 6 and West Main along the former railroad right of way.

Andrew Timmerman of Timmerman Feeding Co. said one of the key points of the project is to put the statues where they will make a good first impression to people coming into town. "I love sculptures, I think scultpures look beautiful in the parks, but they don't give you the 'wow' factor when you're coming in, and I think that's what Sterling needs," Timmerman said. "I think Sterling has such great potential, but to give it a little more pizzazz when you first come in... that's what my vision is."

He suggested that the bronzes could be a selling point for professionals visiting the city and considering moving here.

Laurie Jones, interim director of the Logan County Economic Development, talked about possible beautification efforts on U.S. 6 coming into Sterling from Interstate 76. Locke noted that there could be additional funds from flood recovery for work on the highway, because it was underwater for so long and suffered extensive damage. Jones said CAB is working on a beautification project along that corridor, including a walking/biking path and new lighting. CAB is also planning to put in a monument sign near the Tourist Information Center that could tie in some of the sculptures.

One other possible location for statues would be on the center medians on Third Avenue.

While the idea for the project was originally to work through the Cattlemen's Association, there are opportunities for other local businesses to donate to the project or purchase sculptures for their own properties.

Anyone interested in contributing to the project can contact Torres or Timmerman.

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